New Delhi: It's a day to celebrate the primates and all things simian! December 14 is celebrated as International Monkey Day and is considered an unofficial holiday in several countries including India and Pakistan. The day is used for raising awareness about different species of monkeys and primates and the issues in their conservation.

Why is monkey day celebrated?

The day is celebrated to raise awareness about monkeys and other non-human primates. There are about 260 species of monkeys across Africa, Central America, South America, and Asia. And environmentalists are vocal about their conservation. The day is also used to make people more aware of endangered species such as Eastern Lowland Gorilla in Africa.

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History of Monkey Day

Contemporary artists Casey Sorrow and Eric Millikin are considered to have started the day in the year 2000 while they were students at Michigan State University. The day actually began as a joke after Sorrow wrote Monkey Day on a friend's calendar. Along with other students, they began celebrating Monkey Day at the University. Countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany, India, Pakistan, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Thailand, and Turkey celebrate the day.

In India, the monkey species have a special significance for Hindus as they are considered to be connected with Lord Hanuman. People even revere and feed the monkeys. Loss of habitat also causes frequent monkey-human conflicts especially in urban areas in India.